The Eighth Horcrux
by sherbetlemon22
Summary: Alexandra Brooks- Voldemort's top priority and Draco Malfoy's nightmare.
1. Chapter 1

If you asked Draco Malfoy, nothing was more important than family. He loved his mother, idealized his father, and wanted nothing more than to make them proud. He hated himself for the shame he'd caused when he was unable to kill Dumbledore. In the Dark Lord's eyes, and more importantly his father's, he was a failure. But he was willing to do anything to bring honor to the Malfoy name again, so he was thrilled when Voldemort requested his presence one late, July night.

Voldemort sat at the head of the dining room table, where Draco's father once had, before their family manor had been turned into the Dark Lord's headquarters. Nagini laid on top of the table, her long body stretching almost the entire length of the table. She was barely moving, assumedly because she was still digesting her dinner—Hogwarts former Muggle Studies teacher.

Draco didn't know where to look or what to do. He could feel the Dark Lord's eyes watching him, but he couldn't bring himself to meet his gaze. He wasn't sure if he should sit down or move closer, so he stayed in his original spot, his eyes fixed on the floor. His heart was beating out of his chest.

"Young Draco," Voldemort's voice filled the room. "Look at me when I speak to you."

Draco lifted his gaze to see Voldemort's red eyes staring back at him. "S-sorry sir-"

"You don't need to speak." Voldemort interrupted, causing Draco's heart to sink to the pit of his stomach. "Some may call me a fool, but I have decided to entrust you with another task."

Draco bit his tongue. He wanted to tell Voldemort how thankful he was for this opportunity, but was afraid to say anything. He didn't want to upset the Dark Lord. He couldn't afford for anything to go wrong. His family's name was at stake, and this would probably be his last opportunity to fix his past mistakes and finally make his parents proud.

"Alexandra Brooks," Voldemort said, Draco instantly recognized the name. She was in Slytherin, like him, but she was two years younger. "You know her I presume?"

Draco nodded. Nearly everyone at Hogwarts knew her. She was half-Veela, and girls like that tended to receive a lot of attention. A sly smile crept on Voldemort's lips, causing Draco to feel uneasy. The gesture was so awkward- it was as if smiling was so foreign to Voldemort, his facial muscles didn't quite know how to react.

"I need you to gain her trust." Voldemort said, lacing his long fingers together in front of him. "I want you to watch over her and protect her, and then bring her here for Christmas holiday."

"That's it?" the words left his mouth before he even realized he was speaking. The task seemed so easy. This time last year he was being told to kill one of the most powerful wizards of all time, and now he was just supposed to become friends with a little girl? It didn't make sense.

"Yes," Voldemort spoke slowly, and Draco instantly regretted his outburst, pressing his lips into a thin line. "Apparently I asked too much of you last year, but I feel this task is a lot more suitable for someone with your limited skill-set. Do you agree?"

"Yes sir," Draco said through gritted teeth. He hated being reminded of his failures, but now he was more determined than ever to make everything right again and to succeed.

"Excellent." Voldemort said, reaching to pat Nagini's head. The snake hissed quietly before slithering forward, moving to wrap herself around the Dark Lord's shoulders. "If the task is understood, you may leave."

Draco bowed before turning on his heel. He felt no desire to stay there longer than necessary. The quicker he could get away from Voldemort's red glare, the better.

"And Draco," Voldemort's voice stopped Draco immediately in his tracks. He inhaled deeply before turning back around to see what the Dark Lord wanted.

"Sir?"

"Alexandra is to be your first priority. Nothing bad can happen to her. Her life means more to me than you will ever know."

"Yes sir, I understand." Draco said, quickly leaving the room before Voldemort could say another word.


	2. Chapter 2

Alexandra starred down at the "P" pinned to her robes. She'd been fairly surprised when the badge arrived with her school supply list. She'd never wanted to be a prefect. Prefects should be like Astoria Greengrass; someone who finds great pleasure in brown-nosing and telling others what to do. Yet, somehow, it was Alex who found herself in the prefect carriage, receiving instructions from Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy—of all people—on how to be leaders at Hogwarts. The more Alex thought about it, Malfoy and Pansy becoming Head Boy and Girl didn't come as much of a surprise, really, seeing as the Headmaster made those decisions, and Snape had always been privy to favoring the students in his house over everyone else.

To Alex's enjoyment, Derek Vaisley was chosen as the male prefect for Slytherin. He was one of the few people in Alexandra's year she could actually tolerate. He was very clever and funny, and came from a strong, pure-blood family. Also, he wasn't bad looking. Overall, Alex concluded, the idea of patrolling the corridors late at night with him didn't seem bad at all.

Pansy stood in the middle of the carriage as she addressed the room—she'd been talking for at least 15 minutes straight. Sixth and seventh years sat together, within their houses, while all the fifth-year prefects were crammed together in the back corner. Pansy had taken her attention away from the whole room, and was now staring directly at Alex and the other seven students sitting around her. For whatever reason, Malfoy suddenly appeared interested in the conversation now. Before he'd been resting against the door with his hands over his chest. Now, he'd taken several steps forward and was standing directly behind Pansy, his hand resting on her shoulder.

"I'm going to be pairing each of you with one of the more experienced prefects in your house." Pansy said, her eyes darting between them all. "They will act as your mentor for the first few months, helping you transition from a regular Hogwarts student to a leader of the school."

Alexandra inwardly groaned. She didn't want to be a leader, she liked being a normal student. It was aggravating enough that she had to patrol corridors, oversee decorating, and babysit first-years on rainy days, but now she had to do it under the supervision of a nitwit.

Pansy began pairing everyone off, mostly pairing girls with girls and boys with boys. She saved Slytherin for last, and Alex silently hoped she'd be paired with anyone but Parkinson herself. Alex and Pansy had never gotten along. Pansy liked to think she had control over all the girls in Slytherin, but Alex had made it clear, on several occasions, that wasn't the case with her. Alex figured Pansy would pair herself with her just out of spite. She could only imagine the kind of torture Pansy would put her through all in the name of prefect training.

"Vaisley," Pansy said, and Derek stood, waiting to hear who would be his advisor. "You will be paired with Sebastian Harper."

Harper was a quiet sixth year. Alex didn't know much about him, but he didn't seem too horrible.

"And, finally, Brooks." Pansy said. Alex didn't stand. She stayed seated with her legs crossed at her ankles, her hands underneath her thighs. Pansy narrowed her eyes. "I will be your-"

"I will be your mentor." Malfoy interrupted. He took a step forward, positioning Pansy behind him; he didn't appear to notice the death glare she was giving him.

"Draco I don't think-" Pansy tried to retaliate, but he quickly shut her up with a wave of his hand.

"You shouldn't have to worry about mentoring anyone, darling. You already have so much on your plate. Let me do this for you." Malfoy said, giving Pansy's shoulder a squeeze. It was obvious she wanted to refuse, but the look Malfoy was giving her suggested that wasn't an option.

Alexandra stared at the pair, blankly. She wasn't exactly sure what was going on between them, but she was slightly satisfied to know she wouldn't have to spend any extra time with Parkinson. Although, having Malfoy as her mentor wasn't ideal either. She didn't know him too well, but what she did know wasn't particularly pleasing.

"Everyone report to your scheduled carriages and begin patrolling the corridors. Pay close attention to younger students, and instruct them to put on their robes 30 minutes before our decent into Hogsmeade." Pansy said a few minutes later. She was still visibly frustrated, yet was no longer trying to argue with Malfoy through facial expressions.

Alexandra could feel Malfoy looking down at her, but she stared straight ahead, doing her best to avoid eye-contact. He was at least a foot taller than her, and probably weighed twice as much. Alex was used to being smaller than everyone else, but something about Malfoy—whether it was his confidence or age—made him seem so much bigger than her; it was almost intimidating, although she'd never say that out loud.

Abruptly, Malfoy started out of the carriage with Alex on his heels. They walked almost the entire length of the Hogwarts Express without sharing a single word. Alex wanted Malfoy to speak first. He was supposed to be mentoring her after-all. Earlier he'd seemed so eager to take Alex under his wing—he'd practically fought Pansy for the opportunity, but now things were becoming awkward.

"Are you going to give me any instruction or is this prefect-mentoring-thing as pointless as I'd assumed?" Alex asked, gaining a quick smirk from Malfoy before his expression fell flat.

"We're only patrolling the corridors now," he said, his grey eyes glancing from one compartment to the other. "It's pretty self-explanatory. Just make sure students aren't jinxing each other or muggle-dueling—things like that."

Alex rolled her eyes. This was the epitome of why she didn't want to be a prefect. Caring about what other students were doing and reprimanding them for their actions wasn't something she was interested in. Her main focus was herself, and she hated anything that took away from that.

"So," Alex said, slowing her pace. Malfoy did the same, the pair eventually coming to a stop. Alex turned her head to look up at him; it was the first time she'd made eye-contact with him all day. "Why'd you want to be paired with me so badly?"

Malfoy furrowed his brow, and pressed his lips together in a tight line. Alex never took her eyes off him. She was determined to know the answer, even despite his initial silence. Finally, he spoke.

"I want to get to know you."

Alexandra laughed loudly. "Is that what they're calling it now?" She asked before starting back down the hallway, her mane of blonde hair whipping behind her. She heard him shout something after her, but by that time she was too far away to actually understand him.

A few minutes later, Malfoy reappeared at her side. Again, they walked without speaking. Malfoy stopped to scold students a few times, and he even gave two students detention for snogging in the laboratories. Alex avoided doing any disciplining or work really until the end of the trip.

"Go ahead and tell these last few compartments to start gathering their things." Malfoy said, leaning against the wall. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Also, make sure they have their robes on. We'll be arriving soon."

Alexandra lifted her brow and turned away from him. Sure enough, when she peered out a window, all she saw was darkness. Time had passed rather quickly, surprisingly. She did as she was told and knocked twice on the next compartment's door before opening it and stepping inside. The room was filled with Slytherin seventh-years.

Alex inhaled deeply before speaking. "Get your things together, we're almost there." She eyed the group of them, making sure they were each properly dressed for arrival. Just as she was turning to leave, she caught a glimpse of a familiar face. For only a moment, she froze, but quickly gained her composure and turned toward Blaise Zambini. She forced a smile, "hey."

"Alexandra," Zambini said, standing up. He reached for her hand and kissed the back, yet she remained unfazed. "It's good to see you again."

Alex nodded her head instead of replying. He continued to look at her, his eyes moving up and down her body. She felt an uneasiness in her stomach.

By now Malfoy had entered the room. His mates, Crabbe and Goyle immediately jumped to their feet, but he instructed them to sit back down with a wave of his hand. He placed his hand on Alex's lower back, and leaned to whisper in her ear. "You're taking too long. Let's move on."

Alex nodded, and ripped her hand from Zambini's grasp. She quickly left the room with Malfoy close behind her.

"You know Zambini?" Malfoy asked as he shut the compartment door behind him.

Alex shrugged. "We're in the Slug Club."

"You're in that?" Malfoy asked, his tone slightly accusatory.

"Of course I am." She replied, but Malfoy's expression wasn't satisfied. When he continued to remain silent, she spoke again, "I'm half-Veela, Malfoy. Besides the amount of guys lining up to 'get to know me', my lineage also gets me invites to exclusive school clubs."

Alexandra couldn't tell if Malfoy picked-up on the amount of sarcasm in her voice, but she didn't stick around to find out. She hated the way people treated her because her mother had been a Veela. While some people might find the attention flattering, Alex found it annoying. She wasn't a mythical creature, she was a witch, and she hated been viewed as anything else.

After instructing the last couple compartments to get their things together, Alex waited with the other prefects until the train finally arrived at Hogsmeade. Alex then helped escort the first years towards the Black Lake where Hagrid and a few dozen boats were waiting. Somehow, to her pleasure, she'd lost track of Malfoy among all the chaos. She hoped he'd finally realized how idiotic the whole 'mentoring' thing was, and had left her to figure things out on her own. She began helping some of the smaller students into the boats. It was interesting to see how excited they all were for school to start. She remembered feeling the same way five years ago, but for her own reasons. Anything that took her away from her father and step-mother for almost an entire year would have been exciting to her.

"Be careful," she said as one little boy leaned over the edge of his boat.

"Look at this!" he squealed, pointing at something in the water. Another boy hurried to see what all the fuss was about, causing the boat to rock.

Alex reached towards the boat, trying to stop it from tipping. "Hey, don't do that-" she said before her foot slipped and she stumbled into the water.

The lake was deep and cold. She couldn't touch the bottom and it hurt to move. Her lungs filled with water as she struggled to stay afloat. Panic started to seep in, she'd never been a strong swimmer. Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around her, bringing her to the surface. Before she could see who'd helped her, everything went black.


	3. Chapter 3

Alexandra woke up in the Hospital Wing. The room was dimly lit, and she appeared to be the only patient. Her robes were no longer sodding wet, and instead were warm as if they'd just come from the laundry. She started to sit up, wondering how long she'd actually been there. She figured it couldn't have been more than a couple hours considering it was still dark outside. Just as she was about to get out of bed, Madam Pomfrey appeared out of nowhere.

"And where do you think you're going?"

Alex signed deeply before flopping back onto the bed. "I fell into a lake. How bad can my injuries be?"

"You practically drowned." Madam Pomfrey said, touching Alex's forehead. "Finally you're warming up, and there's some color in your cheeks. Very good signs.

"I almost died?"

"You were hypothermic. Right now I'm monitoring your body temperature. I have a potion working that should fix you right up."

Alex raised her brows. She didn't feel cold. Although she figured no one would be cold wearing freshly cleaned robes under five layers of blankets. She watched as Madam Pomfrey scurried away, disappearing behind one of the many room dividers. She began to wonder how she'd even ended up here in the first place. The last thing she remembered was being submerged in the water and not being able to breathe. And now, somehow, she was here.

Minutes later, Madam Pomfrey reappeared carrying a ceramic mug. She handed it to Alex. To her surprise, it smelled rather pleasing, like butter beer and cinnamon.

"Drink up, Brooks. You can leave once you've finished."

Alex nodded before bringing the cup to her lips. There was a faint knock at the door that instantly drew Madam Pomfrey's attention.

"If that is Mr. Malfoy again," Madam Pomfrey muttered as she scurried towards the doors. Despite her best attempts, Alex was unable to hear the conversation at the door. Seconds later, Madam Pomfrey reappeared at Alex's side, her brow slightly furrowed.

"Was it him?"

"Yes. He's been a thorn in my side all evening. He's been standing in the corridor since he brought you here."

"W-why?" Alex asked, practically choking on her drink.

"I can only assume he's concerned," Madam Pomfrey said as she began straightening things around the room, despite everything already being in perfect order. "He's the one that retrieved you from the water. I insisted on examining him too, but he wouldn't have it. He just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Alexandra narrowed her eyes. Before today, she hadn't said more than five sentences to Malfoy. Now, for whatever reason, he was trying to get to know her and rescuing her from the Black Lake. It didn't make sense.

Once Alex finished the potion she left the infirmary. Sure enough, Malfoy was standing against the wall right outside the doors. Alex walked past him without saying a word.

"Is that anyway to treat the bloke that saved your life?"

Alex spun on her heel. To her surprise, Malfoy was standing so close to her, she almost slammed into him. Quickly she took a step back.

"Thank you," she said, offering him a half-smile before starting back down the corridor.

"Brooks, wait!" Malfoy called after her. Within seconds he was by her side.

"I'm not patrolling any corridors tonight, Malfoy. I just had a near death experience."

"That's not why I'm here." Malfoy said, slightly taken aback. "I just wanted to see if you were okay."

"Why?" Alex asked, looking up at him. She placed her hands on her hips. He lifted a brow in response, so she continued. "Why do you care if I'm okay? Why are you so interested in me all of a sudden?"

He shrugged. "Like I told you earlier-"

Alex rolled her eyes. "Because you want to 'get to know me' is not an acceptable answer. I want to know why—why now?"

"You're just different than most girls."

"Well if that isn't the most generic answer ever. Try again."

Malfoy sighed heavily before pressing his lips in a tight line. Alex stared him directly in the eyes, waiting patiently for a response. It took him a moment, but eventually he offered an answer.

"You're different because most girls wouldn't question why I want to know them. The fact that I'm me is enough reason for them to do pretty much whatever I say. I don't phase you."

Silence enveloped them. Alex didn't know whether it was the seriousness in his eyes or the tightness in his jaw, but for whatever reason, she believed him. And the way he was looking at her right now, like her response was life or death, created a tightness in her stomach she didn't recognize. So much for being unfazed.

"If you say so," Alex said, finally, starting towards the dungeons. She wasn't surprised when Malfoy reappeared at her side seconds later, quickly matching her pace. "I don't need an escort."

"We're both going to the same place." Malfoy said, shrugging his shoulders. Alex didn't respond, there was no arguing that. 

The pair walked in silence the entire way to the common room. Alexandra wasn't sure what to think of Malfoy. Most of the things she knew about him were from Astoria who had been obsessed with him for as long as Alex could remember. Somehow his brand of cologne and favorite Quidditch player didn't really give Alex a good idea about the type of person he was. Whether or not she even wanted to know him on a personal level was still up to debate. For now, she planned to just go with the flow.

"Venomous," Malfoy said, causing the common room door to appear. He pulled it open and stepped aside, allowing Alex to enter first.

She wasn't sure why, but she didn't head straight for the girl's dormitories. Instead she lingered in the common room, waiting for Malfoy.

"Thanks for walking with me." He said with a slight smirk.

She rolled her eyes. "No problem."

He reached to hug her and she wrapped her arms around him, her head resting against his chest. She could feel his strength in how tightly he held her. She felt so small next to him, her arms barely reaching fully around him. The hug lasted only a couple seconds before the pair separated and started towards their assigned dormitory.

Alexandra hoped her roommates would all be asleep. She wasn't sure how late is was, but by the vacancy in the common room, she knew it had to be pretty late. Immediately upon opening the door a pair of arms wrapped around her, practically dragging her to the floor.

"You're not dead!" It was Fiona Mitchell, Alex's best—and really only—friend.

"How unfortunate," Astoria said from across the room. She was lying in bed and her two mates—Tracey Davis and Gemma Nott—were perched on the edge; Alex imagined they'd just finished brushing her hair. "How daft do you have to be to fall in the Black Lake anyway?"

By now Fiona had released her and Alex had retreated to her own bed where she began searching through her trunk for her sleepwear. Astoria was practically a carbon copy of Pansy Parkinson. They were both under the absurd assumption they controlled most of the Hogwarts population purely because they were rude and bossy, and overall horrible human beings.

"Daft enough to get prefect I guess." Alex said with a tight smile. Fiona laughed as she plopped herself on top of her bed, but Astoria didn't appear to be as amused.

"I wouldn't brag too much Alexandra," Astoria said through gritted teeth. "It's not a secret you use Veela-voodoo to get what you want. I'm sure you did something to Snape so he would make you prefect."

"You better watch your tongue, Astoria." Fiona warned, but Alex shook her head. That was all Astoria wanted, a reaction.

"Yes, it must have been my Veela-voodoo that lured Draco Malfoy into the water after me, saving my life."

Astoria's face instantly turned a dark shade of red. Fiona was whooping and hollering as she jumped up and down on the bed while Tracey and Gemma quietly reassured Astoria, hoping to prevent a fit of outrage that could result in the five of them making a trip to Slughorn's office.

Alex turned to Fiona. "It was quite romantic really, his big arms wrapped around me. He even gave me mouth to mouth-"

"You're lying!" Astoria yelled, by now Tracey and Gemma were practically pinning her to the bed.

"Ask him," Alex dared, but Astoria didn't say another word.

She remained quite visibly angry for some time; it must have been hours before Tracey and Gemma returned to their own beds and went to sleep. Alex hadn't planned on telling anyone besides Fiona about Malfoy, but she couldn't miss the opportunity to rub Astoria's face in it. When Alex thought about it, it really could've been anyone that Malfoy ended up saving from the Black Lake. She just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. She wondered if Malfoy would have waited for anyone else to get out of the Hospital Wing, or just how many girls he took the time to get to know. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to pinch herself for spending her last few minutes before sleep thinking about Draco Malfoy of all people. She wasn't Astoria. She was different, and Malfoy wasn't worth a second thought.


	4. Chapter 4

Breakfast was practically over by the time Alex and Fiona made their way to the Great Hall. The previous night's activities made getting out of bed a lot harder this morning. Alex's gaze immediately stumbled on Malfoy as she sat down at the Slytherin table. Not to really any surprise, he was being spoon-fed porridge by Pansy. Alex rolled her eyes. No one would ever catch her that infatuated over a bloke. There was no reason Malfoy couldn't feed himself. He was 17 for Merlin's sake. Pansy was acting more like his mum than his girlfriend, but maybe that's what he liked.

"Malfoy saves your life and suddenly you're Astoria?" Fiona asked, pulling Alex out of her reverie.

Alex narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me?"

"You've been staring at him since we got here."

"Hardly," Alex said, shoveling eggs in her mouth. "My eyes just happened to glance in his direction. I didn't actively search for him."

Fiona quirked her brow. "It that so?"

Alex nodded. "Also, he didn't save my life. I would have been perfectly fine without him." That was a lie, but Fiona didn't know that. Honestly, if Malfoy hadn't happened to walk by the lake when she fell in, she would have probably ended up the dinner of one of its various inhabitants.

"Well, I'm glad at least Astoria thinks it was a life or death situation and that now Malfoy is your knight in shining armour."

"I know right. I bet I can play it out for at least a month."

"Or longer. If we can get Malfoy to merely glance at you while she's watching, I bet she'll cry herself to sleep for a week."

Before Alex could reply, Derek Vaisley sat beside her with a stack of papers in his hands.

"Alexandra," he said, handing her a slip of paper. "Fiona."

It was their timetables. Alex inwardly groaned. Her schedule was completely full. O.W.L. year was already turning out to be a huge drag.

"They've already got you passing out timetables? You must be a natural at prefect-ing." Alex said, nudging Derek's shoulder. His cheeks flushed a light shade of pink.

"Yeah, Harper's more of a learn-on-your-feet type of bloke than a mentor. He really just tells me what to do and then disappears for a while."

Alex wished she could be so lucky. Instead her mentor was interested in stupid things like building a friendship. "I haven't gotten to do much yet. Just that stint on the train before getting held up in the hospital wing."

"Oh my Merlin, of course." Derek said, his expression instantly becoming concerned. He placed his hand over Alex's. "How are you feeling? That water must have been bloody freezing."

She shrugged. "I'll live." When her response didn't appear to reassure him, she continued. "Really, it sounds worse than it actually was."

"It looked pretty ghastly also."

Alex quirked a brow. "You were there?"

"Yeah I saw you fall in. I started to go after you but Malfoy pushed me out of the way." Alex's eyes widened. This was news to her. Before she could say anything, Derek spoke again. "He looked like he had it under control."

Alex didn't need to look at Fiona to know she was giving her major side-eye. Obviously Fiona was wondering the same thing as her, why would Malfoy push Derek out of the way? Alex had thought Malfoy saving her from the lake had been completely coincidental. That he'd just happen to pass by at exactly the right time. Now, she wasn't so sure.

Derek squeezed Alex's hand. "Look I've got to finish passing these out. Hopefully we can patrol some corridors together later."

Alex nodded. Before Derek could even get out of earshot, Fiona demanded, "What's going on with you and Malfoy?"

Alex shook her head. "Nothing. I promise."

Fiona didn't appear convinced. "Have you talked to him? Since he saved your life?"

"He didn't save my life-" Fiona just gave her a look. "I saw him yesterday. He was waiting for me outside the hospital wing—he wanted to see if I was okay."

Fiona was practically jumping out of her skin. "This is a really big deal. Pansy is going to be mental."

"Stop, it's not a big deal-"

"Do you think he fancies you?"

"No way." Alex rolled her eyes. Fiona was the queen of jumping to conclusions.

By now, breakfast had officially ended and students were starting to file out of the Great Hall. Alex looked down at her time table: double Potions and Transfiguration before lunch. What a way to start the day. She was sure her head would be pounding by noon.

"We should get to class. Slughorn will be very disappointed if we're late." Alex said, standing up.

"Disappointed in you, maybe. He doesn't know my name."

"Whatever," Alex said, grabbing Fiona's wrist and yanking her to her feet. "We want to get good cauldrons don't we?"

Fiona didn't object.

Only two classes in, and Alex's day definitely didn't feel like the first day back. Instead it felt like five weeks in when every professor was bombarding her with so much material and homework it felt like her brain might melt. This morning alone she'd attempted to make the Draught of Peace potion and tried a couple vanishing spells on snails. Both were extremely difficult, but she hadn't performed either too terribly. In fact, her potion had been the best in the class. Fiona was always saying Alex should've been sorted into Ravenclaw over Slytherin.

Alex was so exhausted she didn't even bother to look when she heard her name being shouted in the corridor. Instead she kept her eyes straight ahead, focused on getting to the common room so she could skip lunch and take a nap.

Suddenly, a hand gripped her shoulder from behind and forced her to turn the corner into a vacant hallway. Her back pressed to the wall as Malfoy towered over her, his eyes slightly narrowed, and his fingers still digging into her flesh. She shook him off.

"What is your problem-?" she spat, glaring up at him. In a well-lit area, Alex's eyes were a dark shade of brown, right now, where there wasn't even a candle in sight, she assumed they looked as black as night.

"I said your name like five times." Malfoy replied, his tone serious.

"I'm in a hurry." Alex said, attempting to scoot past him.

Malfoy side-stepped, blocking her exit with his body. He reached towards her, the backs of his fingers brushing the side of her face. "How are you feeling?"

Alex crossed her arms over her chest. "I was great until you physically assaulted me."

Malfoy smirked. "Don't be dramatic, and answer the question."

Alex rolled her eyes. "I'm fine, okay? Never been better."

"That's what I like to hear," he said, beginning to relax now. "For your prefect duties tonight, you will be helping Slughorn with detention. There's always a lot of first and second years that get a little too excited on the first day."

"Will you be there?" She asked, lifting a brow.

"No, I have my own business to attend to tonight."

Alex wanted to know what exactly this business was, but she didn't want Malfoy to think she was even slightly interested in anything he was doing. Instead she said, "How will I ever mind a detention without my mentor there to instruct me?"

"You'll survive." Malfoy insisted. "Plus, Slughorn will be there if you have any questions."

"Why can't I do something simple, like patrol corridors?" She asked, thinking of Derek. Hanging out with him would be loads better than a bunch of misbehaving kids.

Malfoy furrowed his brow. "Being a prefect is serious. It's not an excuse to spend time with your boyfriend."

"What are you talking about?"

"I told Harper this morning to have Derek Vaisley patrol the corridors this evening. I can only assume that's why you want to do the same?"

"You have no idea what you're talking about." She said, trying to maneuver around him so she could leave. This conversation had already cut severely into her nap time.

Malfoy stepped aside, allowing Alex to pass. He called after her, "Meet Slughorn in his classroom immediately after dinner."

She didn't bother turning around. She'd had enough of Malfoy for the day.

The rest of Alexandra's day wasn't nearly as stressful as the beginning. Divination, Herbology, and Care for Magical Creatures were as easy as ever, the amount of homework assigned was a little much, but she had until Wednesday to finish, so she wasn't too worried.

Slughorn allowed his detainees to work on school work during their detention, so all Alex had to do was offer her assistance and answer any questions. By the time she returned to her room, she was completely exhausted. To her surprise, the room was empty. Apparently everyone else hadn't had as busy of a day as Alex.

After changing out of her school robes and into her pajamas, Alex was about to get tucked in bed when she noticed a letter sitting on her desk. The envelope had a golden, wax seal with the letter "S" pressed into it. It was a Slug Club invitation.

Slughorn was having a back-to-school dinner Saturday night and the cream of the crop of Hogwarts was requested to be there. Alex just happened to be one of those people. At least in Slughorn's eyes.

She tossed the letter back onto the desk before flopping into bed. She presumed she'd go. It wasn't like she really had a choice anyway. If she didn't attend, Slughorn would take it extremely personally, which would assumedly not mean good things for her in class.


	5. Chapter 5

Slughorn's dinner started promptly at 7:00 and it was 6:55 when Alexandra emerged from her dormitory, entering the common room. It was unusually crowded for a Saturday evening, which probably had something to do with the dreary weather outside. It had been raining nonstop for three days.

She decided to wear a black, spaghetti strap dress that fell halfway down her thighs. She always liked the way black contrasted against her pale skin and hair. Sometimes, in the right lighting, it would make her look like she was glowing.

Fiona was supposed to have helped Alex with her hair and makeup, but after an afternoon of Quidditch tryouts, she ended up immediately falling asleep the second she sat down to remove her uniform. She didn't even make it to the shower. This left Alex to fend for herself, resulting in minimal makeup and a French braid cascading down her back.

Just as Alex was about to exit the room, a hand gripped her waist, twirling her around. Her gaze was even with the person's chest before lifting to meet his dark, brown eyes. Her stomach tightened.

"Blaise," she said, hoping any unevenness in her voice wasn't too obvious. "Hey."

His hand was still on her waist. His grip wasn't necessarily tight, but it wasn't loose either. She could feel the pads of his fingers leaving their mark in her skin. He smiled down at her—except not in a happy way, but in a way that suggested he was quite pleased with himself. "I can only hope you're on your way to Slughorn's party?"

"I am," she said, biting the inside of her cheek.

"Good, then I will escort you." He held out his arm for her to take, but she merely stared at it. She didn't want to touch him.

"What's going on here?" Alex spun on her heel to see Malfoy standing behind her. She never would have imagined his presence would bring her such delight.

"Malfoy," Blaise said, his expression falling flat. "We were just going to dinner, it's invite only-"

Malfoy reached in his back pocket, revealing a piece of paper. It was the same Slug Club invitation Alex received earlier that week, but with his name written across the top. He smirked. "I was invited."

Blaise tightened his jaw. "I suppose with Potter and Granger dropping out of school, there were a few openings this year."

Alex glanced between them, watching as they exchanged death glares. Just another example of too much testosterone in one place. She rolled her eyes.

"We should get going. We're already late." Alex said, starting towards the common room exit, both boys on her heels.

Blaise walked slightly ahead, obviously displeased with the addition of the third person to their group. Alex didn't mind, though, she had a few questions for Malfoy anyway.

He was dressed in jeans and a white button-up shirt. Which was fine, beside the fact he was sodding wet. His hair was soaked and matted to his forehead, and little droplets were forming on the ends, falling onto his face every few seconds. The thin fabric of his shirt kept sticking to his skin and was see-through in places where the water had already soaked through. He was a mess.

"Have you been standing out in the rain all day?" Alex asked, matching Malfoy's pace.

"I had Quidditch tryouts." He replied with a shrug.

"Those ended over an hour ago."

He looked down at her through the corner of his eye, but she was already staring up at him, waiting for an explanation. She hated lies.

He sighed. "I was doing something for Professor Snape." When Alex didn't appear even slightly satisfied with his answer, he continued. "I can't really say much. It was forbidden—if you get what I'm saying."

"You were in the forbidden forest?" she asked, and he placed a finger to her lips, silencing her.

"Maybe," he said, smirking.

She rolled her eyes. "It sounds like you're up to no good."

"Maybe I am."

Before Alex had the chance to reply, they arrived at Slughorn's office. Blaise was already sitting down, as was everyone else. There were two seats still available; one between Blaise and Ginny Weasley, and one between Slughorn and Cormac McLaggen. Alex preferred the seat next to Slughorn, but Malfoy quickly beat her to it. It was just dinner, she reminded herself before inhaling deeply and taking a seat.

"I think that's everyone?" Slughorn said, rising from his chair. "I'm so glad you all could make it."

He clapped his hands twice, causing a smorgasbord of food to appear. Alex's stomach growled. Everything looked so good. She couldn't wait to dig in.

"I thought we could do introductions over appetizers." Slughorn said, tying his napkin around his neck as a bib. "Everyone in this room has a lot to offer, and it's important we all take advantage of that."

Alex inwardly groaned. She hated introductions. Nothing about her was overly interesting. Sure, she was clever, but not clever enough or she would have been sorted into Ravenclaw. Her father had a boring desk job at the Ministry, and no one in her family was famous or had invented anything fascinating. She was half-Veela and that was all. But apparently that was good enough.

Everyone took turns speaking. Majority of the students had been in the Slug Club last year, so there wasn't much new information to retain. Most people just talked about their parents. Malfoy spoke about his father's work at the Ministry, all the money his family had, and their long lineage of pure-bloodness. By the time everyone introduced themselves, an hour had passed. Slughorn clapped his hands again, causing new food platters to replace the half eaten ones. People started to talk quietly amongst themselves, with Slughorn interjecting every so often, encouraging everyone to share their talents and to network.

Alex wasn't overly interested in talking to Blaise or Ginny. Ginny had always been annoying to Alex. Like her brother and his mates, she was always getting her nose into other people's business. But even if she had wanted to talk to Ginny, she appeared too busy glaring daggers at Malfoy to hold a conversation. This just left Blaise, whose attention had only been on Alex since she sat down. Unfortunately, this was the last thing she wanted.

Alex offered Blaise half-smiles and one word responses to all his attempts at starting a conversation. Every so often, he would place his hand of her leg, and she would immediately remove it. His touch gave her goose-bumps, but not in a good way.

"Remember last Christmas?" he asked, his lips forming a half-grin. She didn't crack a smile.

"Yes, I spent it at home, alone while my parents vacationed in Barcelona."

"No, silly," he said, reaching to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. "I meant the party. Slughorn's party."

Her stomach twisted into 100 tiny little knots. She couldn't think of an answer. None of her thoughts were coherent. She suddenly began to feel very hot.

Blaise took her lack of response as reason to keep speaking, making her skin crawl. "I think about that night a lot. Obviously, I wish things went differently…"

His hand found her thigh. Slowly, he ran his fingers over her skin, slipping under the hem of her dress.

"I need to use the lavatory," Alex said, abruptly pushing her chair back from the table. Blaise's hand slipped from her thigh and she hurried out of the room, not caring that she'd gained the attention of almost everyone there.

Once in the corridor, she sat down on the nearest bench. Her heart was beating fast, and she could barely catch her breath. She hated that someone could have so much power over her. If she had it her way, she would curse Blaise into a million pieces that would eventually disintegrate, but that would be cause for expulsion, and no amount of revenge was worth having to return home.

"Are you okay?"

Alex jumped slightly, Malfoy's voice surprising her. She looked up at him; his brows were slightly furrowed, making him appear concerned.

"I'm fine," she said, starting to stand up. He placed a hand on her shoulder, forcing her to sit back down before taking a seat beside her.

"What's going on?" he asked, obviously not taking her response seriously. She rolled her eyes. This was not something she wanted to talk to Malfoy about. She'd barely discussed it with Fiona. It embarrassed her and made her feel uncomfortable.

"Nothing," Alex said, starting to pick at her cuticles; it was a nervous habit she'd had since childhood. She could feel Malfoy staring at her, his grey eyes analyzing her, trying to find some hidden truth. She caught his gaze for only a moment, and immediately her chest tightened. He looked so serious. Alex wasn't sure why, but it felt like he actually cared. Which was strange considering they hardly knew each other and this was Malfoy. Malfoy only cared about himself.

"Is it Zabini?"

Alex raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Zabini. He makes you uncomfortable. I can tell."

"So you're watching me now?" she asked, growing quite agitated.

He shrugged. "Maybe—some. It doesn't really matter. I know there's something going on between you two."

"It's really not a big deal," Alex insisted, but Malfoy didn't seem satisfied. At this point, she didn't believe anything she said would satisfy him, besides the truth that is. She sighed and spoke again, "last year Slughorn had a Christmas party."

Alex's stomach churned. This was the first time she'd talked about it since that night. It was not something she discussed or allowed to be brought into conversation. She wished she could just forget it.

"I went as Zabini's date. Everything was fine at first, but then he stumbled upon some Fire Whiskey and things got out of hand." Malfoy watched her the entire time she spoke, his eyes never leaving hers, despite her gaze being pointed at the floor. "He pulled me into the corridor for a snog, or at least that's what I thought. It wasn't a big deal. It was a party and we were having fun, but we weren't on the same page. He tried having sex with me, but I didn't want to. I told him no a dozen times and tried to push him off of me, but I couldn't."

"Did he-?" Malfoy started, but Alex cut him off, shaking her head.

"No, no, actually Snape appeared out of nowhere, distracting him, and I was able to get away."

"You didn't tell anyone?"

"No, I mean technically nothing happened."

Malfoy grabbed Alex's hand, his thumb tracing over her skin. She looked up at him and bit the inside of her cheek. She was doing everything she could not to cry. Crying was for weak people and Alex was anything but.

"If he ever bothers you again, I want you to tell me." Malfoy said, squeezing her hand.

"Stop being ridiculous-" Alex began, but Malfoy interrupted her.

"If he even looks at you wrong, I want to know." Malfoy said, his tone completely serious. It was actually startling how angry he was. Alex never wanted to be on the opposite side of that anger. He squeezed her hand again. This time tighter. "Promise me, Alexandra."

"I promise." She said, giggling. He sounded like her father. Hardly anyone called her by her full name; especially in that tone.

"Good," he said, releasing her hand. "Now, let's get back to dinner. I heard we're having pumpkin tarts and every flavor ice cream sundaes for dessert."

Alex stood up and adjusted her dress. "I don't really like sweets."

Malfoy twisted his face obscurely. "Why would you ever say such a thing?"

She shrugged, laughing quietly. Before they returned to Slughorn's office, Malfoy bent over, leaning to whisper in Alex's ear. "We're swapping seats, no objections."

Alex merely smiled. She definitely didn't have any complaints with that.


	6. Chapter 6

Andrea shut her eyes as she rested her head on Derek's shoulder. It was 6 o'clock in the morning and Pansy was holding a mandatory Prefect meeting. Students from all houses were scattered along the Slytherin table in the Great Hall, waiting for Pansy to begin. She was sitting off to the side with Malfoy right beside her, massaging her shoulders. Their relationship was so ridiculous.

"Quiet down," Pansy's voice echoed through the room, and everyone slowly started to end their conversations. Andie kept her eyes closed; nothing Pansy had to say was worth losing sleep over. It was a miracle she was awake this early at all, and on a Saturday nonetheless.

"Okay, let's begin." Pansy said, her voice rising an octave. "I called this meeting today to check in and see how things are going now that we're a month into school." There were a few murmurings, but when no one really said anything, she continued, "From what I can tell, the mentoring system has been really beneficial for our first-year prefects. I want you to still continue working with your mentors some, but eventually, in the next few months, you will be completely on your own."

"Merlin forbid we patrol a corridor without a babysitter," Derek whispered; Andie lifted her head and smiled. She looked over at her own mentor who was staring at Pansy with complete interest. He was probably the only person in the room who genuinely cared what she had to say.

She leaned forward and placed her elbow on the table before resting her head in her palm. Her eyes slowly started to close again; the sooner sleep came, the sooner she could stop hearing Pansy's squeaky voice.

It only seemed like seconds later when Derek was shaking Andie's shoulder, willing her to wake up. Quickly she opened her eyes, forgetting for a second where she was. She was quite surprised when she noticed over a dozen pair of eyes staring at her. She turned to Derek who nodded towards Pansy; instantly her stomach dropped.

"What?" she said finally, sitting up. Pansy's lips twisted into a tight smile.

"Professor Sprout needs about 200 slugs for her second years, and you just volunteered to search the grounds for them."

"Wouldn't that job be better suited for students serving detention?" Andie replied, staring Pansy straight in the eyes.

Pansy shrugged. "Perhaps, but I want you to do it."

Andie could feel Malfoy staring at her now. She wondered what he was thinking. His girlfriend and kind-of friend going at it. He was probably amused. Andie wished she could smack the smug look off Pansy's face. She wanted to jump across the table and tackle her to the ground, but instead she bit her tongue and pressed her lips in a tight line.

"Fine."

"If anyone would like to help Brooks, you may volunteer now." Pansy waited less than three seconds for someone to raise their hand, but when no one did, she immediately started talking again. "Okay, no surprise there. Next order of business-"

"I'll help her," Derek said, interrupting her. Andie quickly turned to face him, offering him a look that suggested he definitely did not need to do this. No one else needed to suffer Pansy's wrath. He merely smiled and grabbed her hand, squeezing it.

"Are you sure?" Pansy asked through gritted teeth.

"Positive." Derek said, intertwining his fingers with Andie's.

The meeting lasted about 20 more minutes. Pansy went over the new schedule for the month, assigning different tasks for everyone. Luckily, Andie's schedule wasn't too horrible. She figured it had something to do with who her mentor was. She disliked having another reason to be thankful for Malfoy.

"Catching slugs with your boyfriend? How romantic." Malfoy said, nudging Andie's shoulder. He'd found his way over to her once the meeting concluded. Derek was several feet away talking to Harper, seemingly about the upcoming schedule.

She rolled her eyes. "You would know. That is what you do every time you kiss your girlfriend, right?"

He shook his finger. "Don't be so mean."

"Once she stops being a raging bitch, I'll consider it." Andie said. To her surprise, Malfoy didn't scold her. He actually didn't appear upset at all. She spoke again, "How do you plan to spend your day since you won't be annoying me?"

"Professor Snape asked me to do some things for him." Malfoy said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Again?" she asked. He shrugged. "Are you ever going to tell me what exactly you do for him every Saturday?"

"Maybe," he said with a laugh.

"Whatever," Andie said, hitting his shoulder. "I should get going."

"Right," he said, rocking back on his heels. "Come find me later when you're done, you know, when you get tired of your boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend," she said quickly, causing Malfoy to smirk. "And I won't get bored. Derek is a really interesting guy."

"I'm not the person you need to convince." Malfoy replied before walking off.

Andie watched him. He carried himself with such arrogance it was kind of annoying. Pansy was talking to some girls in Hufflepuff; they appeared to be hanging on to her every word, and laughing at practically everything she said. Malfoy walked up to them and without saying a word, grabbed Pansy and kissed her hard on the mouth. The other girls stared in awe. But Andie didn't see what they saw. They probably thought it was sweet—two people so in love. Andie thought he was trying to prove a point.

"Hey," Derek said, tapping her on the shoulder. She turned on her heel.

"Hey," she smiled up at him. "Ready to hunt for slugs?"

He nodded enthusiastically, and the pair of them exited the Great Hall, heading immediately outside. They made their way towards Hagrid's Hut. There were multiple gardens there—the perfect breeding ground for slugs.

"Can I ask you a question?" Derek asked, peeling a slug off a nearby leaf. He tossed it in a bucket with a few dozen others.

Andie swiped a piece of hair from her face with the back of her hand. "Of course."

"How close are you and Malfoy?"

The question caught her off guard. It was something she hadn't really thought about. It was such a strange thing because she wouldn't consider her and Malfoy close at all, but, at the same time, he knew things about her no one knew. There wasn't really a word for what their relationship was.

"I mean we're friends, I guess." That was a sentence she never thought she'd say, not about Malfoy anyway.

"Just friends?" he asked, not meeting her gaze.

"Just friends," she replied immediately. This brought a smile to his face.

"Good."

They didn't say much the rest of the morning, eventually splitting up so they could cover more ground. It took about four hours to catch all the slugs. By the time they were done, Andie's nails were packed with dirt and she was covered in all sorts of disgusting grime from the garden. She felt like crap and was in serious need of a soak in the Prefect bathroom.

"Thanks for your help." Andie said on their way back to the castle. "You really didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to." He replied simply. "My mum always says we should help the people we care about most."

"That's nice." Andie said, replaying his words in her head.

"That I care about you?" he asked, grabbing her hand.

"Well, yes, but I meant the part about having a mum." He peered down at her, a little unsure of how to reply. Andie was surprised she even said anything. She wasn't searching for sympathy. It just slipped out. It was a reoccurring thought she had whenever anyone mention their mother. She couldn't really help it.

"Your mum—haven't I seen her, at King's Cross?"

Andie shook her head. She kind of wanted to laugh. She was sure he wasn't the only one who thought Shelia was her mum. After all, she had been there her first time on the Hogwarts express. She'd been there since Andie was two, actually, but that didn't make Shelia her mother. Someone who saw her as merely an inconvenience could never be her mum.

"My mum died when I was born," Andie said, without a hint of emotion in her voice. "Shelia, the lady you see at King's Cross, is my dad's wife."

Again, Derek really didn't know how to take this. The obscurity of her family was something most people didn't understand, especially people like Derek. He was like Malfoy in that sense. His family was a perfect, cookie-cutter, pure blood family. His mum sent him sweets and care packages at least once a week, and his dad looked generally pleased to see him whenever he went home for the holidays and summer. Andie was generally lucky if her dad sent her a letter, and even then it was usually just to tell her of whatever vacation he and Shelia were going on, and somehow all their vacations fell on holidays and summers, and never included Andie.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Derek said finally, squeezing her hand.

"Don't be," Andie insisted, forcing a smile. They weren't far from the castle now; she could practically smell the lavender soaps and rose shampoos waiting for her in the bathroom.

"Can I ask you a question?" Derek asked. Andie arched her brow. He was quite the curious guy today. After his earlier question, she didn't really know what to expect.

"Go ahead," she said with a laugh, halting her step. He did the same, and turned to face her, releasing her hand.

"Would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me next weekend?"

Andie could tell he was nervous. He was trying to be charming, and he was smiling all-perfect, but his voice was a little shaky, and if his hands hadn't been shoved in his pockets, Andie was sure they'd be covered in sweat.

"Yeah," Andie said with a slight shrug. She found him attractive, nice, funny, and besides it was the least she could do, after his help today.

His smiled widened. "I would hug you but-" he gestured towards his clothes.

"I completely understand. I cannot wait to take a bath."

"I'll let you go then," Derek said.

"Okay. See you tomorrow." Andie said, walking away. After taking a couple steps she looked over her shoulder, "Thanks again, for everything."

He waved. "No problem."

Andie headed straight for the fifth floor. She hated feeling sweaty and grimy. She always threw a fit whenever Fiona forced her to play Keeper so she could practice trick shots. In Andie's opinion, the Prefect bathroom was the only perk to becoming a Prefect. It was so much better than the standard bathrooms she shared with the hundreds of other Slytherin girls.

To her pleasure, the door was unlocked, meaning no one else was in there. She slipped inside, eager to get out of her clothes. Just as she was about to remove her shirt, she heard someone cough behind her. Startled, she spun on her heel to see Malfoy wearing nothing but a towel around his waist.

"Wh-what are you doing?" She asked, completely taken off guard. She was surprised she was even able to form a sentence.

He smirked. "I was taking a bath."

At first, Andie had been avoiding looking at him straight on, but now she didn't really have a choice. He was soaking wet, and his hair was matted to his forehead. He looked relatively smug, which annoyed her.

"Then why was the door unlocked?"

He lifted a fistful of clothes. "I left my stuff. I caught the door on your way in."

"Well that was rude. I could've been undressed." Andie crossed her arms. He merely appeared more pleased with himself. If that was even possible.

"I wouldn't have minded." He replied, not once taking his eyes off her.

She tried her best not to blush, but she could literally feel the redness in her cheeks. "I bet Pansy would."

His expression fell. "I'll let you get to your bath."

"Good idea," Andie said, turning around. She waited until she heard the door close before taking off her clothes. In a matter of minutes she was sitting in a warm bubble bath, trying to think about anything other than Malfoy. He was probably the most frustrating person she had ever met. Always forcing himself into her life. And now, he was kind of her friend—whatever that meant. She just wanted to think about next weekend and her date with Derek. But somehow, no matter how hard she tried, Malfoy in a towel continued to find his way into her thoughts.


	7. Chapter 7

Alex crossed her arms and continued to pout. A line of students trailed through the corridors, and there was no foreseeable end in sight. Malfoy stood next to her, holding a stack of papers. For some unknown reason, Malfoy volunteered them to collect Hogsmeade permission slips that morning. They'd been at it for over an hour, and it seemed they were never going to finish. She was supposed to meet Derek in 10 minutes, and she expected there was no way she'd be there in time. Malfoy looked relatively pleased with the situation. Obviously he and Pansy didn't have any date plans. Which wasn't very surprising considering he'd spent the last five Saturdays doing who knows what for Snape.

"Can I go now," Alex asked for the third time. Malfoy glanced at her through the corner of his eye. She made sure to look as displeased as possible. He laughed. Apparently he found her pain amusing.

"I'm mentoring you," he said, taking the next kid's permission slip. He brought it to eye-level, examining the signature before adding it to the pile. "You're good."

The third-year smiled widely and ran off to join his friends. Alex couldn't help but feel jealous. That was supposed to be her, running off into Derek's arms.

"It doesn't take an Auror to collect permission slips." Alex said, rolling her eyes.

"Why are you in such a hurry to get to Hogsmeade? It hasn't changed since last year."

She shrugged. "Maybe I just don't want to be around you."

Malfoy furrowed his brow. Her excuse wasn't very farfetched. They hadn't seen a lot of each other in the past week; not since the bathroom incident. It wasn't necessarily on purpose, Alex had been busy with school, and hanging out with Fiona and Derek. Malfoy hadn't exactly come looking for her, either.

"We both know that's a lie. I'm a delight to be around."

"Did Pansy tell you that? You know you really shouldn't listen to her. She's not all there, if you know what I mean." Alex knew she was being unnecessarily nasty but she didn't care. She'd been looking forward to today all week and Malfoy was ruining it.

"Leave her out of this." Malfoy said, slightly irritated, but Alex didn't care. "Tell me the truth and I'll let you leave."

She pressed her lips in a tight line, chewing over whether or not to tell him about her date. She didn't really have a reason not to, he was supposed to be her friend after all.

"I'm meeting some friends." This wasn't a lie. Derek asked yesterday if she had a friend she could bring on their date. Apparently, his mate guilt him into an invite, and to avoid any awkwardness, asked Derek to find him a date as well. Fiona was Alex's only option, and she had to promise to play Keeper for her a half-dozen times in order to get her to agree.

"Mitchel?" He asked, and Alex nodded, biting the inside of her cheek. "And?"

"Derek and Lucas Flint."

Malfoy smirked. "So he is your boyfriend?"

Alex shook her head. "I didn't say that."

"Well it sounds like he's your boyfriend."

"Why do you even care if he's my boyfriend or not?" She quipped, shooting him a look. She was tired of him constantly evaluating her relationship status. It was none of his business.

"I don't care." Malfoy said with a shrug. "It's just pointless to lie. Are you ashamed of him?"

"No," Alex exclaimed, gaining a few stares. She didn't need to explain herself to him. "Can I go now?"

"Fine," Malfoy said, causing Alex to practically jump out of her skin from excitement. Just as she started to hurry away, she was sure she heard Malfoy shout after her, "Have fun with your boyfriend!"

Alex quickly made her way to the common room where she was supposed to meet Fiona, Derek, and Lucas 20 minutes ago. As soon as she opened the door, Fiona practically wrestled her to the floor. Alex did her best to push her off, but Fiona had the strength of a grown man.

"Get off me," Alex exclaimed, punching Fiona in the gut. She was sure this ended up hurting her hand more than Fiona.

"You're lucky I don't murder you right now." She said, finally releasing Alex.

"So I'm a little late-"

"That is so not the problem," Fiona said, throwing her hands up dramatically. "You've set me up with Lucas Flint!"

Alex bit the inside of her cheek. Sure, she knew Fiona wouldn't like the idea of her date being Flint, but she didn't think she'd react this badly. She knew it would be bad, but not life-threatening bad.

"I don't see what the problem is-"

"Of course you don't! You're dating the most attractive boy in our year and have a side fling with Malfoy!"

Alex wanted to scream. She was so tired of people making assumptions about her love life. A love life that didn't even exist.

"Malfoy and I are not a thing," Alex said with as much assertiveness as she could muster. "And stop being so dramatic. You don't even know him."

"His brother is Marcus Flint! Marcus Flint. You know, the seventh year that hit on us when we were first years?"

Alex rolled her eyes. Derek and Lucas were sitting in armchairs across the room, their eyes glued to her and Fiona. She knew it wouldn't be long before they walked over, so she needed to do whatever she could to fix the situation fast.

"Lucas is nothing like his brother." Alex insisted. "And you've already agreed to come, so you can't cancel now, or I will never forgive you."

"Fine," Fiona said, exhaling dramatically. Derek and Lucas were out of their chairs now and beginning to make their way towards them. "But you owe me extra practice sessions. Whenever I want."

Alex didn't have time to argue so she quickly agreed with a nod of her head, just as the boys approached. She quickly put a smile on her face.

"Hey," Alex said, reaching to hug Derek. He smelt really good, like spice and musk.

"Hey," he whispered in her ear before releasing her. "Are we ready to go?"

Alex shot Fiona a look that suggested sarcastic comments were not welcome before replying, "Yes, let's go."

To prevent any outbursts from Fiona, Alex suggested they go to the Three Broomsticks over Madam Puddifoots. Neither of the boys opposed, unsurprisingly. They were able to find a table in the corner of the pub that was out of the way and less noisy. Fiona refused to sit next to Lucas in fear that he would 'try to make a move' on her. Alex didn't care. She just wanted things to go as smoothly as possible.

Alex wasn't sure why she was trying so hard to impress Derek. It wasn't like they hadn't been spending majority of their past few nights together patrolling corridors or their free periods studying in the library. They were already comfortable with each other, but today felt like something else. Today would decide whether or not this thing they had would progress into something more or stay the same. She wasn't exactly sure which she wanted, so she needed today to go well so she could figure it out.

"Malfoy had you collecting permission forms this morning?" Derek asked, taking a sip from his butterbeer.

"Unfortunately. I'm sure his girlfriend talked him into it."

Fiona raised a brow. "Do I detect jealousy?" She whispered. Alex smacked her in the side.

"So, Fiona, how's the Quidditch team looking this year?" Lucas asked, looking at Fiona like she was the most beautiful girl in the world. It was kind of sweet.

Fiona grabbed a fistful of peanuts before replying. "Now that Potter's AWOL we're a shoe-in to win the Quidditch cup."

"Wicked." Lucas said, his eyes never leaving Fiona. She seemed like she couldn't care less. "I always wanted to try out for the team. I'm a pretty decent Chaser."

"Like your brother," Fiona said, looking at Alex as if to say 'I told you so'.

"Maybe you can two can practice together!" Alex said. This time Fiona smacked her in the side.

The four of them talked over butterbeers for over an hour. Fiona was actually enjoying herself. She and Lucas actually had a lot in common. They were both huge fans of the Holyhead Harpies, fascinated by training dragons, and premier members of Zonko's Joke Shop.

Halfway through his second butterbeer, Derek reached under the table to hold Alex's hand. His thumb traced over her skin, causing her stomach to do flips. He made her happy, which kind-of freaked her out. Fiona was her only friend for a reason. She didn't trust people easily. She didn't let people in.

They stayed another hour before finally deciding to head back. Everyone had a lot of homework to catch up on; O.W.L. year was definitely not lacking in course work. Fiona and Lucas walked ahead. Fiona was talking a mile-a-minute about Quidditch strategies and all kinds of nonsense Alex couldn't begin to understand. Lucky for her, with Lucas around, she didn't even need to pretend to.

"Sorry…about him," Derek said, nodding towards his friend. Alex shrugged.

"Don't be. I'm having a lot of fun." Alex said, squeezing his hand. It was true, she really was having a good time. It was so easy to be with him.

"Good," Derek said, smiling widely. "But maybe, next time, we can be alone?"

"We're alone all the time," Alex said, which was true. Recently, they'd been spending a lot of alone time together. Granted, most of those times were in the library, and one of them was spent catching slugs, but they had technically been alone.

He laughed before coming to a stop. Alex did the same, looking up at him with confusion. Without saying a word he grabbed her face in his hands and kissed her hard on the mouth. At first, she was caught off guard, but quickly melted into him, standing on her tiptoes to deepen the kiss. Seconds later, they separated, and Alex couldn't stop smiling.

"That's what I meant by alone." Derek said, leaning to kiss her forehead.

"Well, in that case, we can be alone as much as you want."

Thanks for reading! I'm really excited for the next part, so don't be surprised if there's another quick update in your future! I know the story is skipping ahead rather quickly, but the REAL story doesn't really start until Christmas time, so this is mostly background information. Please let me know what you think! Thanks to those that commented last time. I really appreciate feedback! :)


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